Electric Light Orchestra Part Two (album)


Electric Light Orchestra Part Two is the debut album by ELO Part II, released in 1991. In June 1991, the single Honest Men charted at number 36 on the Dutch Single Top 100 chart. The track "Kiss Me Red" is a cover of the theme to the short-lived TV series Dreams.
The album was reissued in 1991 as Part Two: Once Upon a Time, and again in 2021 by Renaissance Records on CD and LP, with the CD release including bonus tracks.

Background

After Electric Light Orchestra was disbanded in 1986, Bev Bevan approached Jeff Lynne to record another album; Lynne declined. So in 1989 Bev Bevan formed a new band with a new lineup named ELO; however; Lynne objected to the use of ELO's name. After a lawsuit, a compromise was reached: the new name of the band would be ELO Part II. In addition to the new name Lynne would also receive a share of royalties from ELO Part II's sales.
Asides from Bevan, orchestral arranger Louis Clark was the only other member or affiliate of the original ELO to be prominently involved with the album, although former ELO violinist Mik Kaminski appears as a guest on one track and Wilfred Gibson features as an uncredited session instrumentalist.

Reception

In 1991, Music & Media magazine declared in their review that ELO Part II "have succeeded in reviving the old trademark sound of E.L.O." In his retrospective review, AllMusic's Doug Stone noted the album as "a decent fabrication of a begone fab era".

Track listing

Original LP
'''Tracks included on 2021 reissue:'''

Personnel

Personnel according to the booklet.
;ELO Part II
;Additional personnel